It can't be overstated how perfectly timed this game's release was—right as the world was beginning to lock down, people could escape and dive into the always pleasant world of Animal Crossing to replace the sort of normalcy in life that was beginning to drift away. I was hooked from the start and delighted by everything New Horizons was giving me: a daily excuse to relax, relish in its immense charm and carry out menial tasks all focused around building my town up. The conceit of starting on a deserted island made my head spin, with the potential to make the place truly my own, and had me wondering if the series would finally truly sink its hooks into me like it has with so many others.

Little did I know I would drop the game a couple of weeks to a month later, though, with no intentions to return. Honestly I still don't really know why—probably some combination of lacking the time and drive needed to make my town truly blossom in conjunction with the classic Nintendo moves of making so many exceptionally baffling UI and gameplay choices that makes progression feel so mind-numbingly repetitive. Maybe I'll pick it up again, and maybe not, but that's ok. The first weeks with this game were blissful times that I wouldn't trade it for anything, and most of my satisfaction related to this game now comes in the genuine awe of what people putting in massive amounts of time and effort are able to do with it.

Reviewed on Jul 04, 2020


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